How to Garden and Maintain Your Yard

Garden

• 1

  Mulch flowerbeds to keep weeds down.

• 2

  Check for pests like bugs that eat your plants, and treat them as necessary. Choose pest-resistant varieties of plants whenever possible to reduce the need for chemicals.

• 3

  Thin as needed. This applies to any plant, fruit, vegetable or ornamental that needs room to grow. For healthier plants, some perennials should be divided when they become overgrown. Vegetables sown from seed like lettuce or carrots should be thinned to the recommended spacing to get the most out of your harvest.

• 4

  Weed and cultivate gardens, especially those that are not mulched, like vegetable gardens. Weeding removes the plants that rob desired plants of water and nutrients. Cultivation helps reduce weeds and improves the condition of the soil for healthier plants.

• 5

  Water as necessary. The amount of water needed by a garden depends on the rainfall amounts and what you are growing.

• 6

  Fertilize as necessary. Slow-release fertilizers fed as per package instructions work well to keep the nutrients in your soil balanced. Feed ornamentals according to their individual needs. Never feed right before or after heavy rains or rainy spells, as they flush the soil of the fertilizer, sending it into the groundwater supply.

Lawns

• 7

  Test your lawn's soil periodically to determine if it is deficient in any nutrients. If it is, you can easily replace the nutrients when fertilizing.

• 8

  Fertilize your lawn in the spring and fall, concentrating on any nutrients the soil lacks, as dictated by a soil test from your county's extension office.

• 9

  Mow regularly. Mowing not only keeps grass looking good, but also keeps it healthy by reducing the occurrence of some weeds and keeping it from forming seed heads. If it forms seed heads, it begins to look leggy and thin.

• 10

  Water once a week if your area receives less than 1 inch of rainfall per week. Aerate your lawn in the spring to keep the soil from becoming compacted and suffocating the grass roots. Reseed trouble spots. This is also best done in either the spring or fall.

• 11

  Trim around the edges of your lawn and around objects like trees, planters or buildings with a grass trimmer.